Fortunes and Fables No.

9: Sunken Sorceries of the Mire

A system-neutral Dungeon Crawl
For low level adventurers
E1
In the depths of the Blackswamp, an ancient 6
warlock's tower lies submerged, surrounded by
dancing lights. But tread carefully, adventurer,
for the secrets hidden within these murky waters 1 8
are as dangerous as they are enticing.…
Background
Long ago, the warlock Mâlrik built a 5
2
tower atop an arcane cave in a swamp, 7
where he imprisoned magical fey to
harness their powers. But in a failed
ritual to open a dimension portal, some
of them broke free, causing a 4
catastrophe that corrupted Mâlrik and
cost him his arm. Desperate, he created 3
a healing elixir out of the remaining fey,
but it transformed him into a hive of
malicious forms of half-fey beings, while
he locked himself in his chamber. 9
Recently, Nathan’s Marauders, a group
of adventurers seeking gold, entered the
cave and were infected by the living 13
hive. The fey that once escaped and
built a kingdom in these caves started to
fight the beings and try to aquire
Mâlriks runestone in order to use the 10 12
portal to escape once and for all.
Quest 14
In the Blackswamp near the trading
post Pinefort, strange lights can be seen, S 11
and travelers disappear! August Balvon,
the manager of the trading post, offers E2
125 gold to investigate these 1 Square = 10 ft.
occurrences and put a stop to them.
D10 Local Rumors E1: Swamp Entrance 2: Cave of the Fallen
1. „A group of mercenaries recently vanished
in the Blackswamp!“(T) At the bottom of a wildly overgrown island in the The murky water continues to flow to the south of
2. „The underground cave systems open up swamp lies a cave. Ruins can be seen atop it. The this room, where in a small opening rushing water
into the swamp! Eternal darkness and death murky water slowly flows towards the opening. can be heard. In the western part of the cave several
awaits you within“ (T) • Cave Opening > Leads to (1) corpses can be seen with a swarm flying above.
3. „A swamp wyvern hunts in the region! If • Overgrown Island > Perceptive • Ambush > When approached a Living
big shadows approach, hide, you fools “ (F) adventurers may find a climbable path Hive emerges from the corpses & attacks
4. „If you hear laughter in the swamp don’t between the overgrown rocks to (E2) • Corpses > Another dead Living Hive, as
well as dead half-fey mutants and Faeries
worry! It‘s the sound o local toads“ (T) E2: Ruin Entrance can be found > An oil flask, a ring(25 g), a
5. „The insects in the swamp are as aggressive
as drunken orcs! Bring antidote with you“ (T) Between the thick vegetation atop the small swamp falchion and Fairy Dust(May blind a target
island, ruins of a tower emerge. Except for parts for d4 min) can be found on the corpses
6. „Ghosts hunt the living in the swamp! of the wall, everything has collapsed, and a wide, • Graffiti > Nathan rules“ written on wall
They laugh before drinking your blood“ (F) round hole forms in the center of the ruins.
7. „Watch out for Venus Flyclams in the • Hole in the ground > 50 ft. Below is
3: Cave of Convergence
swamp! Their pearls are valuable though“ (T) room (11) > Needs to be climbed A giant pit, surrounded by three waterfalls pouring
8. „Faeries roam around the swamp and • Glowing Lights > Irregular lights murky swampwater down into the darkness. A
bewitch travelers!“ (T) appear with a ¼ chance every h > They glowing platform with a weird rock formation is
9. „A warlock once build a tower in the are Fairy scouts, gathering plants & insects held by pillars from above
swamp!“ (T) • Pit > Goes 1000 ft. Down
1: Grotto of the Laughing Frogs • Waterfalls > Fill the cave with fog >
10. „The swamp is full of undead zombies,
soldiers from an ancient battle fought there“ (F) The cave is 1.5 ft. Flooded with water and The northern one can be easily traversed
overgrown with vines & colorful water lilies. • Platform > Only reachable from the
Travel Irregular laughter can be heard. stairs from (12) > The broken remnants of
The Blackswamp is filled with murky • Water Lilies > A skilled herbalist can a dimension portal shimmer with arcane
waters and overgrown islands. From create antidotes from the 6 water lilies energy > An arcane user might need 8-12
Pinefort it takes 4 hours to the swamp. • Laughter > Perceptive adventurers find hours to channel magic into repairing the
Finding the swamp island with the ruins 3 laughing frogs > Although harmless, they portal using the runestone from (14) >
atop, surrounded by lights, could take produce a strong hallucinogenic poison on Once repaired, the portal opens a one-way
anywhere from 2 to 12 hours. their skin when scared passage into a fey dimension
 By Nocturnal Peacock
4: Lost Campsite A makeshift wooden bridge leads over the gorge. Dungeon Encounters
Irregular buzzing can be heard. 1/6 Chance every room (d4 & d4)
This cave has a ragged campsite in the center of it.
The stench of rot, and twisted buzzing are omens • Gorge > Drops 20 ft. 1. D6 Faeries (1. Gathering 2.
of the three rotting creatures in the camp. • Wooden bridge > 25 ft. in length, two Patrolling 3. Resting 4. Perform ritual )
• 3 Living Hives - Former mercenaries, small logs hold a bunch of planks > if 2. D4 Living Hives (1-2.Patrolling 3.
turned into aggressive beings crossed, a swarm of mutated half fairies Become a nest 4. Fight d4 Faeries)
attack (attributes as bee swarm, see
• Campsite > Old bedrolls and rags >2x Walking Hive) > bridge is not fixed to its 3. Distant Noises (1. Laughing 2.
chains, 2xLeather Armors & 50 coins position and could be moved Mosquitos approaching 3.Ghostly
• Rusty Spikewall > If pushed into, Whispers 4.Wind)
• Irregular structure > Buzzing & small
causes damage as 2xLongswords mosquito-like half-fey mutants fly to & 4. Small event (1. Gust of Wind 2-3.
Laughing frog tries to get food 4. Illness
5: Grotto of Bones from an opening to (14) a bit above floor
spreading miasma)
level > 25 ft. (10 ft. In height) have to be
The murky water is dotted with some water lilies, traversed to reach it, either by rope, the Blackswamp Fairy
rocks and sharp forms bridge or even the chitin skeleton of (5)
• Sharp Forms > The robust chitin
skeleton of a 30 ft. long giant centipede - its 10: Laboratory of Convergence
pinchers are filled with paralyzing poison Smooth stone forms a decrepit room. Stone tables, a
• Water Lilies > 3 lilies like in (1) > A cauldron and shelves are overgrown with plants.
Fairy hides in one & flees if approached • Stone Table > A Dirty, Silver
6: Grotto of the Hungering Clams Alchemists set(200 g) and obscure notes
about fairy dust, fairy eggs and alchemy
Thick fog with a bitter taste surrounds big stone • Cauldron > Filled with an awful Tiny creatures with insect like bodies and
formations, full of shells, and algae. smelling grayish goo > if consumed you wings. They glow in arcane energy and speak
• Alluring Fog > Visible when entering > turn after 2d6 hours into a Walking Hive in rhythmic insect like strange patterns.
If inhaled and not resisted, the inhaler • Shelves > 16x Rusty small cages & Armor: As Leather
becomes charmed for 2d4 minutes by the broken bottles are scattered around it Health: As Pixie (or eagle)
Flyclams and approaches them > Attributes: As Pixie (or eagle)
antidotes stop the effect S: Collapsed Doorway Weapon: As dagger (magical)
• Venus Flyclams > 3x aggressive giant • Rocks on a skeleton > A mostly eaten Flight: Is able to fly to places
clams > can‘t move but try to eat close skeleton crushed by rocks > Digging Fairy dust: 2/6 chance has dust:
beings (attack as Warhammer, Attributes as reveals a Longsword & a silver amulet („For Instead of attacking, it may try to blind
wolf) > each one has a pearl(100 g) that Nathan“ inscribed, worth 50 g) > digging a victim for d4 rounds
constantly produces a small amount of fog for 2 hours, opens the way to (14)
Mâlrik‘s Arm Wand
7: Fields of Fairydust 11: The Fallen Tower A tattooed and half rotten hand, still itching
The air is filled with bluish pollen as several A round room full of rubble and lush plants. & pulsating with arcane energy
plants thrive within this cave, amidst colorful • Floor > A mosaic shows planets & a
lights dancing in the air. tower in the center > 8 planets are jewels
• Pollen Dust > Must be resisted to worth 30 g each
prevent the gradual loss of senses > Can • Plants > 5x Swamp tobacco
be treated with an antidote. Type: Wand/Arcane Fokus
• 3x Faeries > Farm & defend the dust 12: Occult Library Bloodbound: 5 charges- If bathed for
• Plants > Produce the pollen, contain 6x 1h in the user’s blood, absorbs it &
pure dust > if consumed you fall for 2d6 Mold overgrown bookcases, a table and the statue recovers 1 charge per hp worth of blood
days into a deep sleep and travel with your of a three eyed warlock form this room. Bloodmagic: Spend a charge to gain
mind to the fey realm • Ambush > A Walking Hive emerges +2 to a spell check or mind control a
behind a fallen over bookcase after 1 min. fairy for 2d6 minutes
8: Kingdom of the Blackswamp • Bookcases > Mostly eaten by Walking Hive
Between Stalactites and lush green, obscure bookworms and mold > throughout search
reveals 3x still useable ones (100 g each) Twisted hybrids of corpses and mutated hives
structures emerge. Dotted with holes, these glowing
purple structures look like precisely formed hives. • Stone Statue > If all three eyes are Armor: As Chainmmail
pressed, a secret door opens to (13) Health: As Zombie
• 12x Faeries > Rest and live in their Attributes: As Zombie
hives & move between them from time to 13: Conservatory Weapon: As Mace
time > They want to destroy the Living Hive: Additional attack (as dagger) &
Hive & acquire the runestone to use the A small chamber with bookcases and a glass tube. releases a swarm upon death
portal > hide in hive when close to death • Bookcases > 7x books (each 100 g) (Attributes as bee swarm)
• Fairyhives > 3x structures similar to • Broken Glass Tube > Filled with
huge wasp nests and built on Stalactites > Formaldehyde & Mâlrik‘s Arm Wand
highly flammable and can be dropped if
the Stalactites are destroyed > filled in total 14: Heart of the Hive
with 6x soft fairydust (consume heals the A twisted room full of pulsating flesh vines &
equivalent of damage of 4x dagger flesh structures, between broken stone mobiliar.
attacks), 4 fairy eggs & 8x purple • 4x Walking Hives > Defend the room
jewels(each worth 75 g) • Structures > The structures are the
9: Bridge over troubled Waters former warlock turned into a giant wasp
like hive > creates a swarm every round
Rock structures, Stalacmites and Stalactites emerge until killed (Attributes as a bear) > still has
around a gorge in the center of the cave. his runestone & tome under the bed (500 g)
Fortunes and Fables No. 9:
8: Tomb
Sunken
of the
Sorceries
Moonthieves
of the Mire By Nocturnal Peacock
 Blackswamp Faerie Blackswamp Faerie Blackswamp Faerie Blackswamp Faerie Blackswamp Faerie
Blackswamp Faerie Blackswamp Faerie Blackswamp Faerie Blackswamp Faerie Blackswamp Faerie

Living Hive Living Hive Living Hive Living Hive Living Hive
Living Hive Living Hive Living Hive Living Hive Living Hive

Cutout Miniatures
•Print and cut out around the black borders
•Fold them in the middle
•Glue folded sides together
•(Optional) Laminate them Font: Brokenscript-BoldCond , Just van Rossum 1991
•Put when needed into plastic holders
Font: Baskerville , John Baskerville